“Why, Lady Pasifika? What does Lady Pasifika stand for? Aren’t you just a magazine? Why are you going that direction? Who are you? Who do you think you are?”
All good questions, all constantly on repeat. It has been 2 years and 10 months since Lady Pasifika’s launch. The initial vision for Lady Pasifika was simple: to publish authentic stories from women of the Pacific. What has come of what was just a “magazine’ is now a beautiful community.
But with blessings come responsibility which expectedly, brings stress. There were many things I stressed about early on: lack of funding, growing the brand and company, my demanding full time job while balancing my personal life and my new role leading a team.
But jeopardizing my vision for Lady Pasifika in order to meet demand and keep others happy was the most stressing issue for me this past year. There were so many great ideas, so many amazing possibilities being thrown at me but it was not what I wanted and envisioned.
A life changing event this past year forced me to buckle down and get real with myself about my vision of Lady Pasifika’s future. By the end of the year, I made tough decisions that are best for the company which is normal for a start-up but tough nonetheless. Mistakes are made, setbacks are had but valuable lessons are learned.
So where to from, here? What does 2020 bring for us? Definitely growth and expanding the vision of Lady Pasifika from just a magazine to beyond. We are working on the first issue of 2020: The Boss Issue, to be released later in the Spring. We are excited to share more and reveal our cover soon!
We are also working towards launching our non-profit sector of Lady Pasifika which will have components that will help us stay focused on our mission above all: to serve our community.
My lesson for 2019 is a reminder to myself and to you all, which is to never apologize for your vision for something you are passionate about. Do not apologize for being stern, for not compromising, for not giving into the ‘noise’ or distractions that come with social media and what everyone else is doing. I’ve always marched to my own drum, and I am not stopping now. I trust that my intuition has gotten me this far and continues to guide me. I will not apologize for what I want for my company which was launched to serve our community of women.
2020 promises many things but our mantra for this year is: Do The Work. There is no way around it. All the talking & planning is exciting but the work? That is the hardest. The consistent grind, working through long hours (especially if you are juggling a full-time job, children, family obligations, etc.), putting yourself out there and for the most part, you are often alone on your journey. It is not always glamorous parties, meetings and events-there is true grit behind the scenes.
As we move into the new decade I take the lessons of the past and move with stride into this brand new, exciting decade for us. I pray I am writing from a much more certain space for our company, our community and our future in the next decade but for now, it is time to work.
Alofa atu,
Tolua
Founder
ladypasifika.com 